By Richard Gonzalez
Editor, DyeStatCal.com
(SEPTEMBER 6, 2007) -- Going by the list of notable schools gathered, perhaps the best opening-day meet on today's Southern Section calendar should be in Orange County, where Buena Park HS will host a five-way meet that also includes Fountain Valley, Great Oak, Esperanza and Upland.
But what once looked like a barnburner debut race for Division I teams on the girls side has lost some of its lustre.
Fountain Valley, ranked third in the CIF-SS Division I preseason rankings, has state champion Lizzie Coe still rehabbing from injury and sidelined while another top runner will also very likely sit out the meet. Meanwhile, sixth-ranked Esperanza has reportedly opted not to run its varsity group at the meet. Additionally, unranked Upland will rest out at least one top underclass talent and possibly others.
That presents Great Oak as the very likely favorite for the girls win, with Coach Doug Soles undoubtedly eager to put last year's nightmarish stretch drive behind him. "G-O" won the Inland Empire Championships in impressive fashion in mid-October last year, but then went backward from there due largely to injuries and an uncharacteristic showing at CIF-SS Prelims, where it placed a distant ninth in its heat and ran 101:51 on the Mt. SAC course. That left the Wolfpack to stand on the sidelines a week later while four teams it defeated a month earlier at Inland Empire were busy competing at the section championships.
Great Oak has a loaded lineup that should -- on paper -- be the top team in Riverside County this year, but must first exorcise those stretch-drive demons before it can lay claim to truly being superior to such battle-tested teams as Murrieta Valley, M.L. King and Corona.
The varsity boys' race could be a
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Southern Section notebook |
dandy, especially if Sunset League rivals Fountain Valley and Esperanza come ready to tango. FV is led by senior Eric Dyson, who will seek the title of "Most Improved Runner" -- if not "Most Valuable" -- in Orange County this fall.
Only 15th at last year's Sunset League Finals, Dyson has made the full commitment this summer, including double-day and occasional triple-day workouts; one workout with his team and the other(s) with older training mates -- including twins Daniel and Diego Mercado from the University of Oregon, on occasion. Multiple reports from various sources indicate Dyson, who ran 1,123 miles, is in super shape.
Barons coach Marty Baratti is said to think with Dyson's leadership and several other key returnees, FV should be favored to win the league.
Try convincing Esperanza, which has David Cummings leading a hard-working crew that just missed the CIF-SS preseason Top 10 rankings and is projected as the slight favorite to win the rated race at the Woodbridge Invitational later this month. The Aztecs are no doubt on an emotional roller coaster these days, still dealing with the recent loss of former assistant coach Ryan Bousquet, who was involved in a fatal motorcycle accident last week.
Upland, ranked fifth in the CIF-SS Division I preseason poll, will rest out four of its top five, according to Coach Mike Wilson, while Great Oak should have Esperanza within reach and and matches up very close with Fountain Valley.
Host Buena Park doesn't boast the credentials of their opponents today, but the best way to get better during the season is to prepare well and continually challenge yourself against the best, and that's what they're doing here. ## |
